Tribute to A.M. Wolff (2000)

TributeNotes from Hypnosis CourseMisconceptions About HypnosisLaws of SuggestionPartial GlossaryCharacteristics of a Good Hypnotic Subject"Quiet Retiree Spends Life Lifting Others"TributeIn the early 1980s, I took a course on "Self‑Hypnosis"
at the University of New Orleans. The instructor was A. M. Wolff who had worked with both the New Orleans Police and Fire Departments (stress
management and hypnosis classes), taught hypnosis courses at UNO and worked with
athletes at Tulane University. He was an excellent instructor and had been an
inspiration to me over the years. A few years ago, I was presenting a
"Self‑Improvement with Self‑Hypnosis" seminar at Pendleton Memorial
Methodist Hospital where I was a Chaplain and Hypnotherapist. One of the
persons in attendance at that presentation was A. M. Wolff. It was a joy to
introduce him to the class and to have the opportunity to say how much he had
meant to me and my hypnotherapy career. A few weeks ago, I received an email
from Mr. Wolff’s daughter, Lydia Landry. She told me how good it was to hear
her father referred in one on my articles on this website. It was then that I
learned of his death. He was truly a good teacher of hypnosis and a good
example through his work in the community.

Notes from Hypnosis CourseEven if you've never been to a hypnotist, you have probably experienced a form of hypnosis many times in your life. Such common experiences as day‑dreaming, being totally absorbed in a book or becoming mesmerized by the lines of a highway on a long trip are forms of hypnosis. In many ways, hypnosis is very similar to sleep. It is a natural and very restful state. It has three separate and distinct levels: Light, Medium, and Deep. (Each of which can be further broken down.) But unlike sleep, hypnosis is a state of altered awareness that retains consciousness. During Light hypnosis, a person feels listless and lethargic. In the Medium state, a hypnotized person feels even more relaxed. You can remember and reenact events from earlier times in your life and, at the hypnotist's suggestion, can even make parts of the body go numb. During Deep hypnosis, you can open your eyes and walk around without coming out of hypnosis. You can experience events from very early childhood. (This is called "regression," and I strongly suggest doing only under proper medical supervision.) You are deeply relaxed and feel a glowing sense of comfort and calm. Although hypnosis has been practiced and studied for centuries, it is still not completed understood. Hypnosis cannot be explained by any single factor because it is a process that crosses and interacts with many area of human thinking. It is a very subtle process in which the conscious mind is continually aware and is monitoring the activity of the subconscious mind. Yet, the conscious mind stands aside to let the subconscious mind deal with the present suggestions and inquiries from the hypnotist. It is this unique unveiling of the subconscious that makes hypnosis such a valuable tool in psychotherapy. Hypnosis can make the difference between a brief period of therapy and an extended one. With it, an experienced psychotherapist can gain access to repressed material much more rapidly than the lengthy process of analysis. Hypnosis is also useful in reducing anxiety and in helping people overcome bad habits and phobias. In the field of medicine and dentistry, hypnosis can be used to help control muscle spasms and can also be used as an anesthetic.Misconceptions Concerning Hypnosis:(1) A HYPNOTIZED PERSON IS UNCONSCIOUS OR ASLEEP: A person
is aware and conscious, even in the deepest levels of hypnosis.
(2) THE HYPNOTIZED PERSON WILL REVEAL SECRETS THAT WOULD NOT
BE TOLD OUT OF THE HYPNOTIC STATE: While in hypnotic state one is fully aware
of what is happening and what is said. One will not reveal anything he/she does
not want to reveal. (3) THE HYPNOTIZED PERSON IS UNDER THE COMPLETE CONTROL OF
THE HYPNOTIST: A person in the hypnotic state will not do anything against his/her
will. Anysuggestion that is given is strictly censored by the
conscious and subconscious mind.
(4) A PERSON MAY NOT COME OUT OF THE HYPNOTIC STATE: Most
people come out of the hypnotic state
quickly upon the count out of the hypnotic state or when the individual counts himself out of self‑hypnosis.
If difficulty occurs, it is usually because the person does not want to leave
the relaxed state. If person is having difficulty come out of the hypnotic
state, the hypnotist may say, "It is time to come out of the hypnotic
state, but if you desire, you may stay in the hypnotic state, but I must tell
you that for each minute of the second hour,
I charge the same as for first hour," or, "Your bladder is
getting fuller and fuller." If a
person continues to remain in the hypnotic state, they will drift into a
natural and peaceful sleep and awake when it is appropriate for them to wake up
or when someone wakes them up. In all of history, there is no record of an individual
failing to come out the hypnotic state.
(5) A HYPNOTIZED PERSON DOES NOT KNOW WHAT IS BEING DONE TO
HIM OR HER: False. One is aware of what is going on.
(6) ONLY WEEK MINDED PEOPLE CAN BE HYPNOTIZED. The more
imaginative and intelligent a person is the easier to hypnotize. Anyone who can
think, reason, and communicate can be hypnotized.
(7) HYPNOSIS MAKES A PERSON WEAK MINDED AND WEAK WILLED.
Hypnosis tends to do just the opposite.
(8) HYPNOSIS IS ANTI‑RELIGIOUS. Hypnosis is neither
religious nor anti‑religious. It can be
used for good or bad depending on the hypnotist and the subject. (9) THERE IS
NO DANGER ATTACHED TO THE USE OF HYPNOSIS. Basically that is a true statement,
but one using hypnosis beyond their training and knowledge may cause harm.
(10) THE SUBJECT MUST BE IN A DEEP STATE FOR HYPNOSIS TO BE
SUCCESSFUL. Self-improvement and overcoming bad habits can be successful
treated in the light or medium state.
(11) A POST HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION LAST FOREVER. A post
hypnotic suggestion may not be followed at all or may last a few minute to a
lifeLaws of Suggestion (Coue`):
1. THE LAW OF CONCENTRATED ATTENTION. When spontaneous
attention is concentrated on an idea, it tends to realize itself. While
conscious attention is desired in the waking sate to secure full effect from
suggestion, it is the attention of the subconscious mind which is sought during
hypnosis and this part of mind is more easily reached if there is not conscious
attention.
2. THE LAW OF REVERSED EFFECT: Whenever anyone is in a state
of mind in which he thinks, "I should like to do this but
"cannot", he may wish as much as he pleases, but the more he tries,
the less he is able. The result of this law is seen in the person with insomnia
who tries to go to sleep. The harder he tries the more wide awake he becomes. A
similar situation arises in the induction of hypnosis. The more the subject
tries to cooperate actively ‑ the harder he tries to become hypnotized ‑ the less the chance
there is of inducing the trance, since
passive or directed co‑operation is essential. This law must be remembered when
phrasing a suggestion ‑ for instance, in the test where the subject is told to
try to open his eyes but that he cannot because they are glued together. The
harder he tries, the tighter they stick.
Coue' said, "When the imagination and the will are at
war, the imagination invariably wins. The force of the imagination is in direct
ratio to the square of the will."
3. THE LAW OF DOMINANT EFFECT. An idea always tends towards
realization... At any given time there is available in the brain only a certain
amount of energy which is always attracted to the strongest emotional wish‑feeling
then present. To achieve the greatest
result from a suggestion, it must be attached to an emotion of the instinct
groups having such energy capacity as to surmount any other than likely to be
active in the mind. Affirmations are far stronger than negatives when making
suggestion.A Partial Glossary of Terms Used in Hypnosis
1) ANALGESIA: An absence of pain, but an awareness of touch
and pressure.
2) ANESTHESIA: Total absence of touch, pressure and pain.
3) AUTOHYPNOSIS: A self‑induced state of hypnosis. (self‑hypnosis).
4) CATALEPSY: A condition of inability to more muscles on
suggestion.
5) HYPERESTHESIA: Acute sensory perception.
6) HYPERPRAXIA: Increased muscular ability.
7) HYPNOIDAL: A very light state of hypnosis.
8) HYPNOTHERAPY: The use of hypnosis in psychotherapy.
9) HYPNODONTICS: The use of hypnosis in dental work.
10) NEGATIVE HALLUCINATIONS: A lack of awareness of objects
or persons actually physically present. On suggestion, any or all of the five
senses may be involved. The subject will not see hear, smell, taste or feel
genuine stimulus.
11) OPERATOR: The hypnotist.
12) PLACEBO: A device without any real therapeutic value,
which, however, due to suggestion with which it is given, has an effect.
13) POSITIVE HALLUCINATION: A state in which the subject
believes that he sees, tastes, hears, or feels suggested stimuli that are not
in reality present.
14) POST HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION: A suggestion given in the
hypnotic state that will be executed in the waking state.
15) RAPPORT: An attitude of trust and confidence, a feeling
of empathy, between the subject and operator usually signified by the subject
responding only to the suggestions of the operator.
16) RATIONALIZATION: Self‑justification by giving
acceptable, although not true, reasons for actions.
17) REFRACTORY: Denotes a subject offering resistance to hypnosis.
18) REGRESSION: The ability of a subject on suggestion to
relive or re‑experience past events.
19) REVIVIFICATION: Regression in which past experiences are
relived to a more intense and profound degree.
20) SELF‑HYPNOSIS: A self‑induced state of hypnosis. (Auto‑hypnosis).
21) SOMNAMBULE: A subject capable of producing profound
hypnotic phenomena.
22) SOMNAMBULISM: The deepest state of hypnosis.
23) SUBJECT: the person in hypnosis.
24) WAKING HYPNOSIS: Production of the hypnotic phenomena in
waking state. Characteristics of a Good Hypnotic Subject
1) Capable of comprehension and concentration.
2) Possess a desire to be hypnotized.
3) Motivated to be hypnotized.
4) Belief or faith in possibility of hypnosis.
5) Willingness to cooperate.
6) Confidence in the operator.

"Quiet Retiree Spends Life Lifting Others"Written by Bill Grady from The New Orleans Times-Picayune, 1997
It is written in stone that prettily wrapped candies will be
laid out with perfect symmetry on the hall table of A. M. Wolff’s condominium
in The Carol, a large and secure St. Charles Avenue high‑rise. And they’ll stay
perfect until some chocolate‑loving imp ‑
not Wolff, God forbid, but maybe a certain visiting kid who vaguely understands
that "Uncle A. M." is a very important man ‑ plucks a few from the
table and wrecks the arrangement, which is fine, because with disorder there
could be no order. In that case, Uncle A. M. would not be a well‑heeled
certified public account with a secure financial portfolio of ultra‑conservative
investments.
Anyway, the visit ends with the kid and his dad at the
condominium door. Neither are related to Wolff so the kid cannot comprehend the
look of affection that passes between his father and the old man with the rosy complexion
and black‑framed glasses. It’s nothing, really, just the face the old man quietly
put the father and two other young men through medical school or college out the
goodness of his heart. That’s all. Wolff would rather not speak of it. So, after
father and son are gone and the condominium is quite, he puts the candy straight
again.
He was, needless to say, an employer’s dream: industrious,
self‑effacing, and highly intelligent. What greater accolade could he have
received than this: they trusted him with their money. When Wolff retired in
1985 as vice‑president‑comptroller‑treasurer and member of the board of
directors of the New Orleans based Wemco neckwear company, he received
unprecedented award of a chubbyhole‑for‑life at the business’ South White
Street building. He visits his tiny office three or four times a week, driving
to Wemco in his 1991 Chrysler New Yorker.
In an age of hyper-efficiency, Webco is guilty of wasting
space. Why give an office to a man who has no duties? "I don’t know
why," said the meticulously dressed Wolff, 79, sitting with elegant unease
on hi sofa, with hansom antique and an
Oriental rug of muted design spread before him. He seems at once repelled and
drawn to subject of conversation: himself. "I think it’s very nice of them
to me an office. Yes, yes, maybe they like me. Could be, but I don’t think
about things like that."
Briefly then, the Wemco office staff like to see him around.
In their world of starched collars and measured coffee breaks, A. M. Wolff is
by all accounts a non‑threatening entity. "The man has no ego." said
Steven Latter, the comical proprietor of Tehague’s Restaurant who once worked
with Wolff at Wemco. "When I was at Wemco, he helped me. When I went into
business for myself, he always had the answers. I call A. W. every two or three
weeks. I also like to remind him that I’m hoping to be in his will, so if I’m
quoted in the newspaper, I’d like the part about the will to be included. I
might as well push it." Another of Wolff’s acquaintances, his girlfriend,
lives on the 10th floor of the Carol. Leone Marks, daughter of the prominent
New Orleans businessman and civic leader
Leon C. Simon, remembers Wolff as an office boy as her father’s business, United China and Glass, back in the late
30's. She took little notice of him. He was one of thousands of Depression boys
walking to work in the mornings to save the 7‑cent streetcar fare. He took his
pay home to his mother, who worked in the ladies dresses department at Gus Meyer’s
on Canal Street. His father was long gone. Wolff does not speak of him.
"We didn’t have a pot to pee in." Wolff said. "We lived on Milan Street. My mother was
a hard‑working lady. She raised three kids in the days when you didn’t have
single parents."
After high school, Wolff went to work in the daytime and to
Soule Business College at night to study accounting ‑ the art of keeping tabs
on money, the very thing he did not have. He was not depressed. "The
younger generation will never understand that period. You never outgrow it, no
matter how old you are," said Wolff. "You always have the feeling
that something bad is going to happen.
The stock market’s going to crash." He let out a playful, but
quickly stifled, giggle.
Having been oversees in World War II, as a hospital supply
officer. Wolff returned to New Orleans, attending night school at Tulane
University, where he earned a degree in accounting.
Wolff joined Wembly, the forerunner of Wemco, in 1958. By
then he was well on his way to the safe harbor he sought. It was also about the
time he discovered hypnotism, the ultimate tool of self‑control. For more than
40 years, Wolff has taught athletes, police officers, firefighters and other ho
to hypnotize themselves to reduce the effects of stress and other conditions.
When Sam Pulitzer, founder of Wembly, developed prostate cancer, he went to
Wolff, who taught him hypnosis to lessen his pain.
"All of his adult life, A. M. has been doing for other
folks and he can’t stand it if somebody does for him," Marks said.
"Don’t build me up," Wolff said, "I don’t want to look good.
I’ll have a terrible letdown when it’s over." (Durbin note: No A. M., not a letdown but a lift up. You
helped many including myself and I shall always be grateful.)